Threats and Threatening Messages

News about Threats and Threatening Messages, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Dec. 5, 2016

Washington, DC, police apprehend Edgar M Welch of Salisbury, NC, after he fires rifle inside Comet Ping Pong pizzeria; employees at restaurant have been harassed for months, through email and social media, by those believing online conspiracy theory falsely tying restaurant to child abuse ring. MORE

Oct. 31, 2016

Chobani yogurt company founder Hamdi Ulukaya is target of racist attacks on social media and conspiratorial articles on websites for being outspoken advocate for refugees; Turkish immigrant employs more than 300 refugees in his factories and has launched foundation to help migrants, inspiring other companies to help; civil rights advocates believe Ulukaya is being singled out because he is immigrant himself and his actions counter anti-immigration narrative. MORE

Sep. 12, 2016

Michael Wilson Crime Scene column shares story of 81-year-old Jose Cardoso, who has lived on West 10th Street in Greenwich Village since 1950s; argument over ownership of lottery ticket led to Cardoso's arrest on charges of menacing fellow customer in local flower shop. MORE

Aug. 10, 2016

Chicago Police Dept issues alert to its officers about threats against them, made by three gangs from city's West Side; threat dramatically escalates tensions between police and black communities after spate of police killings of unarmed black people. MORE

Aug. 8, 2016

Michael Wilson Crime Scene column describes how threats issued by unidentified person over New York Police Dept radio frequencies have set off search both by police and community of amateur radio operators for culprit. MORE

Jun. 11, 2016

Authorities in North Carolina say Army Reserve officer, Major Russel Thomas Langford, has been arrested on number of charges in connection with death threats he made against members of Masjid Al Madina mosque, north of Fayetteville, while armed with handgun. MORE

Jun. 8, 2016

Santa Clara County, Calif, Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky is bombarded by threats of violence after sentencing former Stanford student Brock Allen Turner, convicted of sexual assault, to six months in jail; is also facing recall attempt for giving what critics say is lenient sentence. MORE

May. 17, 2016

Bernie Sanders supporters express outrage, accusing Nevada Democratic Party of rigging state convention; employ tactics, including threatening messages and destruction of property, reminiscent of Donald J Trump supporters; raise concerns about party's ability to unify before general election. MORE

May. 9, 2016

Islamic State releases list of 11 Western imams and scholars accusing them of being apostates and threatening them with death; experts say rise of largely unheralded effort to discredit militant group through theological study, taking place in mosques and on social media across United States, is especially effective means of fighting extremism. MORE

Apr. 29, 2016

New York City Police Dept says white powder discovered at Donald J Trump's campaign office in Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan is not threat; powder was mailed in envelope to office campaign office and opened by staffer. MORE

Mar. 8, 2016

Feb. 17, 2016

Residents of Sgt Bowe Bergdahl's hometown of Hailey, Idaho, are shaken and wary by threats against his supporters, phenomenon that began with his release from five years of captivity by Taliban in Afghanistan; ambivalence about Bergdahl is widespread as he faces court-martial and possible life sentence for desertion. MORE

Jan. 22, 2016

Friends and family remember Jovani Cubias, 17-year-old from East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn who was stabbed to death after argument with another man; family members say high school junior had complained recently of being harassed and threatened via phone calls and text messages. MORE

Jan. 2, 2016

German officials defend their decision to close two transit hubs hours before midnight on New Year's Eve after receiving bomb threat from Islamic State; two stations have since reopened, although hundreds of police officers remain on guard. MORE

Dec. 27, 2015

Education officials nationwide are struggling with question of how to respond to threats of imminent school attacks following proliferation of social media postings warning of mass violence; schools and safety experts agree threats must be taken seriously, but differ from state to state in decisions like whether to lock down a campus or close schools altogether. MORE

Dec. 22, 2015

Schools in Nashua, NH, are set to reopen after terrorist threat; details of threat have been withheld, and police have not said whether it was connected to any other threats across United States. MORE

Dec. 17, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District decision to close all schools after receiving terrorist threat is met with approval from rest of nation, even though threats were found to be false; school districts in major cities receive similar threats and react differently as nation discusses best way to handle terrorist threats. MORE

Dec. 16, 2015

School systems in New York City and Los Angeles receive emailed terrorist threats on same day, but cities react in vastly different ways; New York City officials reviewed threat and dismissed it as hoax, while Los Angeles shuts down entire school system; Los Angeles' more cautious approach reflects recent memory of San Bernardino attacks. MORE

Dec. 15, 2015

Texas plumber Mark Oberholtzer files lawsuit against car dealership AutoNation Ford Gulf Freeway after truck bearing his company's logo is seen on Syrian battlefield; seeks about $1 million in damages, saying he has lost business and has been threatened by people accusing him of being terrorist sympathizer. MORE

Dec. 12, 2015

Federal authorities arrest Khaalid A Abdulkadir in Minnesota after he threatens in Twitter post to kill FBI agents; post comes after agents arrest Abdirizak M Warsame on charges of trying to join Islamic State. MORE

Dec. 9, 2015

Grand jury charges Akron, Ohio, hospital employee Terrence J McNeil with solicitation of crime of violence and threatening military personnel after he posted names and addresses of 100 members of the military on social media and called for them to be killed; prosecutors claim McNeil sympathizes with Islamic State militant group. MORE

Dec. 3, 2015

Kean University students react with shock to revelation that threats made against black students on Twitter in mid-November were written by black alumna Kayla-Simone McKelvey, who had been active presence on campus; McKelvey apparently sent messages while participating in rally on racial issues, and called attention to messages during rally. MORE

Dec. 1, 2015

Western Washington University officials announce arrest of unidentified 19-year-old student for posting online racial threats against black students that caused campus to be closed down; student has been jailed on charges of felony malicious harassment. MORE

Nov. 6, 2015

Litchfield Public Schools in Connecticut will try to expel two high school sophomores who are accused of dressing as Columbine killers for Halloween and of threatening to hurt other students; students were charged in court and are in juvenile detention center. MORE

Nov. 5, 2015

Two high school students are arrested in Litchfield, Conn, after coming to school in Halloween costumes of gunmen in 1999 Columbine shootings and threatening to hurt other students. MORE

Oct. 27, 2015

Juliet Macur Sports of The Times column laments disturbing incident in which four bullets bearing names of league official were found in youth football parking lot in Norvelt, Pa, leading league president Rick Albright to cancel season's remaining four games; reflects that threats highlights way in which irrational behavior of adults can ruin youth sports. MORE

Oct. 19, 2015

Death threats issued by Taliban to staffers of Afghanistan's leading television channels marks shift in tactics for insurgents, who have largely distanced themselves from attacks on press; change was apparently motivated by objections to story about Taliban insurgents raping women after taking over Kunduz. MORE

Sep. 18, 2015

Federal Judge Michael P Mills sentences former University of Mississippi student Graeme P Harris to six months in prison for participating in the hanging of a noose around campus statue of James Meredith, the black man who integrated the university in 1962; Mills had previously pleaded guilty to charges of racially-based threat of force. MORE

Aug. 20, 2015

Jason Paul Smith of Harts, W Va, is arrested in Lubbock, Tex, on charges that he made hoax phone call claiming to be terrorist and threatening to blow up Statue of Liberty. MORE

Aug. 16, 2015

Editorial criticizes Mexican Pres Enrique Pena Nieto's government for failing to address threats to and attacks on journalists in country, leading many journalists to censor themselves out of fear of being targeted and killed; calls on Pena Nieto to condemn threatening statement made by Javier Duarte, governor of Veracruz, and to investigate and solve past crimes against journalists. MORE

Jul. 14, 2015

Judge Timothy Black finds Michael Hoyt, former Ohio bartender accused of threatening to kill Speaker John A Boehner, not guilty by reason of insanity; sets another hearing to determine whether Hoyt is danger to others. MORE

Jul. 8, 2015

Bernard Laufer, Queens man who pleaded guilty to sending death threats to Council on American-Islamic Relations executive director Nihad Awad, is sentenced to three years supervised release and required to undergo mental health treatment; is also facing charges of attempted murder in 2012 stabbing of different man outside mosque in Queens. MORE

Jul. 1, 2015

Many professional women tennis players say personal security is disturbing facet of their life on tours, with obsessed fans threatening them through social media and having close physical proximity during tournaments; Romanian player Simona Halep and others have been harassed and stalked by fans. MORE

Jun. 14, 2015

Real Estate Q&A answers questions about handling threats and harassment from a neighbor in a co-op building, seller's obligations to communicate other offers with potential buyers and fair fees when management must replace a tenant's lost building key card. MORE

Jun. 2, 2015

Supreme Court reverses conviction of Anthony Elonis of Pennsylvania, who posted violent messages on Facebook toward his estranged wife and was charged under federal law making it crime to threaten to injure another person; Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for majority, says prosecutors had not proven Elonis's intent in his social media postings. MORE

Jun. 2, 2015

Editorial welcomes Supreme Court's 8-1 decision requiring that prosecutors show that person who has written threatening messages on social media has intent to carry out those threats in order to successfully criminally prosecute them; notes case centered on violent thoughts posted on Facebook by Anthony Douglas Elonis of Pennsylvania about his estranged wife, which she interpreted as viable threats. MORE

May. 26, 2015

Fighter jets escort Air France flight to John F Kennedy Airport, first of some six intercontinental flights landing at either Kennedy or Newark Liberty International Airport, after chemical weapon and bomb threats. MORE

May. 11, 2015

United Arab Emirates airline Etihad Airways diverts flight going from Cairo to Abu Dhabi to military base in Dubai, citing unspecified security reasons; Islamic State sympathizers reportedly posted threats against flight to their Twitter accounts. MORE

Mar. 20, 2015

Mitsuyoshi Kamiya is arrested in Japan for making bomb threats against United States Embassy in Tokyo and American military base in Okinawa. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

Japanese authorities say they are investigating telephoned death threats to United States Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and to diplomat Alfred Magleby. MORE

Mar. 9, 2015

Yik Yak, local social media app that allows full anonymity, has become known for abusive, nasty posts as its popularity grows with young people; app has been especially popular on college campuses, where it has fueled controversy over racist, homophobic, misogynistic 'yaks'; app, which sorts comments by geographic location on bulletin boards, has also been used to issue threats of mass violence on more than a dozen campuses. MORE

Jan. 20, 2015

Report of bomb threats leads to search of two Delta Airlines jets at Kennedy International Airport; threat is determined to be unfounded. MORE

Jan. 19, 2015

Rally organized by anti-immigration group Pegida in Dresden, Germany, is canceled after terrorist threat is leveled against movement's leader Lutz Bachmann; country is grappling with swelling anti-immigration and anti-Muslim sentiment. MORE

Jan. 2, 2015

Rayshawn J Dixon of Manhattan is arrested and charged with placing 911 calls threatening to kill police officers; case brings to 21 the number of people who have been arrested after threatening police since two New York City officers were fatally shot on Dec 20. MORE

Dec. 26, 2014

Elvin Payamps of Queens, NY, is arrested after he was overheard on his cellphone threatening to kill police officers; officers seize weapons, brass knuckles and bullet-resistant vests at Payamps's home. MORE

Dec. 25, 2014

Reports of threats against New York City police increase after killing of two officers and Mayor Bill de Blasio's call for vigilance; four arrests are made in connection with threats and two Brooklyn precinct station houses are given extra security. MORE

Dec. 18, 2014

Sony Pictures Entertainment drops plans for Christmas Day release of movie The Interview, which depicts assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, after receiving terror threat against theaters; movie has been at center of devastating hacker attack on Sony. MORE

Dec. 17, 2014

Sony, concerned that someone will follow through on threats of terrorism at theaters that show film The Interview, comedy about assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, cancel New York premiere; say they will not withdraw film's release but will leave decision to show it up to individual theaters and chains; threats referenced 9/11 attacks. MORE

Dec. 2, 2014

Supreme Court hears arguments in case of Anthony Elonis, Pennsylvania man who was convicted of online threats against his wife but claims he was merely expressing himself as a rap artist. MORE